The present invention relates to a pressurized canister recycling apparatus for use in recovering the contents of a plurality of pressurized canisters of varying length and diameter.
Canisters are usually incinerated or buried in land fills, resulting in the waste of valuable resources, the release of ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons ("CFCs") and hydrochlorofluorocarbons ("HCFCs") such as Freon into the environment, and in the case of insecticides, the unwanted spread of poisons. Incineration of such canisters has also been the source of more immediate danger since the canisters typically explode when subjected to elevated temperatures.
Devices are known for emptying pressurized canisters. Such devices, however, do not have the ability to recover and recycle canister contents, including active ingredients and propellant, for canisters of varying lengths and with differing diameters using a continuously fed apparatus. Nor do such devices have the ability to recycle Freon, particularly medicinal Freon for ingestion into the body, without requiring additional purification.